Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Night Owl

If you were wondering, here's what you can do with 190 sugar free and regular Red Bull cans, 90 hours of free time, electricity and just a touch of eccentricity.

My piece "Night Owl" has been accepted into the 2008 Houston Red Bull Art of Can exhibition. This is the second time I've done this. "Rooster for Ransom" was part of the AOC Chicago show last November (hmmmm..I might have a thing for birds?!?) The owl stands approximately three feet tall. "Night Owl" is a tribute to artists and the inspiration that we seek. "Inspiration" whether it be in the form of travel, people, music, fine art, nature, books, etc. is represented by the lit can that the owl is holding. An artist "drinks it in". Then inspiration is processed, filtered and something entirely new comes back out that is unique to that individual artist (the owl eyes represent this through their light.) The artistic process is a remarkable one with inspiration being the key in putting out work that is fresh and different.

And speaking of light...I did it. I figured out a way to incorporate this element into my art in a safe way that will not (I promise) burn down Houston. The owl was the perfect vehicle to do this with eyes that entrance and often seem disproportionate to their body. The mystical intelligence that surrounds an owl was inspiration for me. The bedtime books around here consisted of owl story after owl story as I did my preliminary research when beginning to create my own whimsical owl.

Aluminium or metal is a fantastic, versatile medium to work with. Here you can see the different textures that came from the same aluminium cans. I hammered, twisted and bent pieces to form the bark on the tree stump. In contrast, the feathers and claws incorporate pieces that make texture by the way they are cut, bent and layered. Only minor wounds were suffered throughout this process mended by lots of Snoopy band aids and kisses from my three year old.

The Houston Red Bull Art of Can exhibition is taking place this summer from July 11th-25th at the Houston Galleria. I've seen peeks of several pieces that have also been accepted into this show and I can guarantee you it will be nothing short of amazing. Check it out if you get the chance. If you can't see it in person, the pieces are currently being photographed and will be online in the next month or so at http://www.redbullartofcan.com/.